Air Conditioner Maintenance

How to Maintain and Clean your Air conditioner | Master Appliances

An air-conditioner is a very expensive appliance but with preventative air-conditioner maintenance and a regularly servicing schedule, you can protect your investment, reduce your running costs and prolong the life of your air-conditioner. Air-conditioner maintenance should be carried out by a professional appliance repair company but there are simple steps you can take to clean and service your air-conditioner.

Step one

Before you start cleaning, repairing or servicing any appliance, it is important to follow safety procedures. Before attempting any air-conditioner maintenance or air-conditioner cleaning, make sure you disconnect the air-conditioner and shut off the power supply. All air-conditioners will be different; you may have to turn off power at the circuit breaker that controls the unit.

Step two

Dirt is the biggest enemy of air-conditioners; it can lower the efficiency of the air-conditioner, block the operation of the fan that blows out the cool air, clog filters, and block drain ports. Cleaning the air filter and the outer panel of the air conditioner every 2 weeks to a month will improve air conditioning of a room. A large percent of air-conditioning failures can be attributed to dirty or blocked filters.

Step three

Depending on the frequency of usage and how often it is cleaned and maintained, the filter will need to be changed every three to six months. If you use your unit often, you might need to replace it after every three months. If you use your air conditioner infrequently, you can replace it after every six months. Master Appliance sell filters for most leading brands and we can advise you on how to change the filter.

Step four

You also need to check within the unit as well and whether the evaporator and coils are gathering dust. This dust reduces air flow and insulates the coil, reducing its ability to absorb heat. Clean the evaporator and condenser coils at the beginning of the cooling season and every month during the season and as necessary. The air-conditioner coil will collect dirt over their months and years of faithful service.

Step five

During the winter or when it is not in use, room air conditioners should be protected from the elements. Cover your room air-conditioner to protect the unit from gathering dust and debris or remove the unit from its mounting and store it or cover the outside portion of the unit with a commercial room air conditioner cover or with heavy plastic sheeting, held in place with tape.

Always consult your manual before starting any air-conditioner cleaning. A well maintained and serviced air conditioner runs efficiently and cuts down on running costs and energy usage, lasts longer and is quieter. For domestic air-conditioners, servicing is recommended before the start of summer and for commercial air-conditioners, contact Master Appliances to tailor a regular air-conditioner maintenance schedule.